


All Living Things Will Fade (A Post-Infinity War AU)

by emptymasks



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (for gavin and elijah), AU, Alternate Universe - Infinity War, Angst, Animal Death, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Brothers AU, Character Death, Crossover, Crying, Death, Developing Relationship, Dog death, F/F, F/M, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Implied Relationships, Infinity War AU, Multi, Platonic Relationships, Post-Canon, Relationship(s), Sad, Sad Ending, Spoilers, Swearing, the sadness train is leaving the station
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-13 03:12:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15354948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emptymasks/pseuds/emptymasks
Summary: “That’s not-” The man cut himself off.Around them humans and androids alike started to fade.“All living things…” The android said, and smiled for the first time, as they tipped their head back and stared at the sky until their vision went black.///(Spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War, and Detroit Become Human)A post-infinity war AU based on musings with friends in a dbh discord. I blame you two (you know who you are).I tried to write all the relationships so that they can be seen as platonic or romantic. Whichever you'd prefer.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HawthornShadow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HawthornShadow/gifts).



> Every chapter is a different take on this AU. Each chapter follows the prologue, but each chapter stands on its own. 
> 
> There were so many possibilities with this that I wanted to write different scenarios, but didn't want to spread them out into different fics.
> 
> I tried to write all the relationships so that they can be seen as platonic or romantic. Whichever you'd prefer.

Not everyone started fading at once.

The titan had snapped his fingers and the heroes watched as their friends and comrades evaporated before their eyes.

Then it slowly spread.

Wakanda sent out a warning, and soon every television in the world was broadcasting the alert.

Most didn’t believe it, until videos started being uploaded online of people, crowds of people, slowly thinning as particles streamed into the air.

What do you do when you know the world is ending? Hold your loved ones, call anyone and everyone on your phone, try to outrun it? Try to hide from it?

But the world wasn’t ending. It was being purged. People went to grasp their loved ones, only to have them spill through their fingers. They would run, only to find their feet no longer connecting with anything.

The news spread like wildfire.

The people of Detroit watched the flashing messages on the billboard screens.

A man pushed out of the crowd that was gathered around the fountain, colliding with an android.

“Unbelievable.” He muttered, then realised he had no reason to be civil anymore.

There were no consequences anymore.

“Bet you lot are real pleased about this.” He yelled, jabbing his finger into the android’s chest.

The crowd turned.

“All living things are randomly dying. Won’t affect you will it? You just get to stand here and watch, and then go on with your day.”

The crowd murmured and circled around, caging in the android, as well as herding up others that were standing close by.

“I suppose after we’re gone that’ll just leave more jobs open for you all won’t it.”

The crowd sneered.

Then gasped.

The man looked as the android held its hands out in front of its face.

His skin deactivated, revealing the white and grey, as his fingers started to fade away.

The crowd moved back.

“That’s not-” The man cut himself off.

Around them humans and androids alike started to fade.

“All living things…” The android said, and smiled for the first time, as they tipped their head back and stared at the sky until their vision went black.


	2. Contents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Don't read this if you don't want the chapters spoiled.**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Below I'm listing the main characters in each chapter, as well as who fades/dies in each chapter so that people who are uncomfortable/upset with the deaths of certain characters, they can skip those chapters.

1\. Prologue

2\. Contents _(You are here)_

3. Route 1 - Connor watching Hank and Sumo fade (ft. North and Gavin)


	3. Route 1 - Connor, Hank & Sumo (ft. Gavin)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was so focused on the work ahead – not long left now – that he barely registered the red exclamation mark that was flashing in the corner of his vision.
> 
> It was a message from North, but before he had the time to open it another one appeared from Markus, then Simon. One by one the red started clouded vision and he swiped them away, meaning to go back and open the first one.
> 
> Then he noticed the blinking light of the monitor at his desk. He heard gasp from the other side of the room. From the break room he heard Detective Reed cry ‘What the fuck’.

Connor sat alone in the almost empty station. It was well past seven in the evening now. He’d made Hank leave hours ago, practically pushing him out of the door.

Hank, having failed to convince Connor to leave with him, had tried to at least let them finish the work together.

“I can finish the paperwork far sooner than you could, Lieutenant. I would complete it even quicker if I were left on my own, without any distractions.” Connor’s voice softened. “And you need to rest. I won’t be long.”

Hank had grunted and rolled his eyes as he’d begrudgingly left.

Connor had maybe lied about how long it would take to finish the work, he hadn’t wanted Hank to worry.

He was so focused on the work ahead – _not long left now_ – that he barely registered the red exclamation mark that was flashing in the corner of his vision.

It was a message from North, but before he had the time to open it another one appeared from Markus, then Simon. One by one the red started clouded vision and he swiped them away, meaning to go back and open the first one.

Then he noticed the blinking light of the monitor at his desk. He heard gasp from the other side of the room. From the break room he heard Detective Reed cry ‘What the fuck’.

He played the message from North as he watched the video now playing on every computer in the station.

_‘Connor, I don’t know if you’ll get this in time… I hope you do._

_I don’t know what’s happening, Markus doesn’t- None of us know.’_

As he listen to North, the newscaster on the computer continued to talk as the broadcast shifted to display footage being filmed from a helicopter. Below it groups of people thinned as cries and screams rang out in the air. The camera started to tilt and Connor didn’t want to know what horror it was trying to get an angle on. But then the camera continued to tilt until it crashed against the inside flooring of the helicopter.

Joss Douglas’ face came into view as he crouched in front of the camera. He then glanced upwards towards the front of the helicopter.

“Shit. Shit. No, no, no, no, no…”

Joss’s voice faded as he moved off camera, but the camera continued to shift. The realisation sunk in that it wasn’t the camera moving downwards, it was the helicopter. Josh’s hand came back into view as he spun the camera around to the now empty pilot’s seat. Part of a head could be seen blowing away in to the grey air.

_‘Everyone, humans and androids, we’re… fading? Dying? Fuck, we’re being erased from existence for all we know.’_

Connor was frozen. He needed to move, he needed to get up, to check on the others. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t move and he didn’t want to have to know if those he cared about where still out there. He needed to know but he couldn’t-

_'Connor if you make it please let us know you’re safe._

_If you can’t reach me then…_

_No-!’_

And the message ended abruptly. North’s voice glitching as it was cut off. Whether that was an error in the recording, or if that was actually happening in her voice, Connor didn’t know. He’d never heard North sound like that. She was always so put-together, so strong…

The familiar ‘software instability’ was back once again, and he could see the reflection of his now red LED glowing in the monitor.

He pushed his hands against the desk, but his legs seemed to lock up and he thought he could feel himself shaking and that wasn’t possible he couldn’t, shouldn’t be trembling-

He was so lost in his thoughts that he barely registered the hand grabbing the back of his collar as it began half pushing, half dragging him through the room and out of the door.

The person let go and Connor almost fell into the car that he now found himself in front of.

“What the fuck are you doing Connor, get in the damn car.” Detective Reed stared at him from over the roof of the car.

He face shifted for a moment as Connor starred at him in shock, before he tried to hide himself in an annoyed scowl and ducked down into the car.

Connor hadn’t even finished shutting the door behind him, when the car sped forward.

Connor looked at Reed, but quickly looked away, not wanted to cause any annoyance to him. Reed’s heart-rate was increasing rapidly, and his knuckles were turning white, a stark contrast against his normally bruised skin.

“Don’t know why, but I seem to be fine. It’s not happening to everyone… I don’t feel any different.” Reed glanced over to him. “…Do you?”

 _Do I feel any different?_ Connor checked his diagnostics and looked over himself. Every part of him was where it should be.

Connor shook his head. He realised that Reed had acknowledged that he had feelings. He considered if teasing would lighten the mood, but now didn’t feel like the right time to bring that up.

The car lurched to a stop. One of Reed’s hands flew up to the dashboard, staring at Connor, whose position was unaffected by the sudden stop.

“Get in there.” Reed meant it as a command, but Connor noticed the scared look on his face.

Connor stepped out in front of Hank’s house. He turned to thank the detective, but his head had turned away from Connor.

Connor almost wished he could turn his head away too.

He knew his legs weren’t actually shaking. He knew that it was impossible for him to experience tremors under emotional pressure or stress. He knew this and yet he felt as if they were. As he ascended the steps he felt as if they would crumble underneath him and he would be swallowed by some dark ominous _thing_.

The door didn’t shake under his knocks, but he felt that the wood would splinter into his hands, rendering his body into little more than a pin-cushion.

He didn’t even try calling out before he stepped back and kicked the door open.

He never thought he’d be so relieved to hear Hank yell.

“Hank!” Connor could hear the static in his voice “You’re okay, I thought that maybe-”

Connor saw the tears staining Hanks cheeks and saw the haunted look in his eyes.

Hank was knelt on the floor in the middle of the living room. The couches had been pushed outwards and the table seem had collapsed on itself, as if someone had fallen onto it, and weight had been too much for the cheap wood to bear. But Hank wasn’t injured.

Then Connor looked down.

His eyes slowly travelled downwards, down Hank’s arm until he could see Sumo’s paw resting in his hand, Sumo’s head was buried in his lap. But as Connor’s eyes continued their journey he noticed Sumo seemed to just stop. He could see the dogs head and front paws, but then his body just… disappeared.

“Help.” Hank croaked out, voice hoarse. “Connor…”

Sumo wined and tried to tilt his head up as Connor came and knelt beside Hank.

There was no mistaking tremble in his hands as he reached out for Sumo. Part of Connor was trying to move, and part was too scared to and it was making his hands shake.

“It’s happening to androids too.” Connor almost whispered.

He felt Hank slide his hand into his.

And there they sat. Connor’s right hand in Hank’s tight grip, and his left curled into the fur being Sumo’s right ear. And when Connor’s left hand no longer had anything to grab, it moved to Hank’s chest to stop the other man from falling forwards.

Hank’s hand pulled from Connor’s and Hank’s arms wrapped around Connor’s neck, pulling him close. Connor felt the shoulder on his jacket grow damp and Hank trembled beneath him and he suddenly felt the need to take care of him, to make everything better… but he couldn’t… he didn’t know how.

He didn’t know how to fix this.

And Hank was babbling into his neck.

“Don’t leave, Connor, not you too. I can’t lose anyone else.”

Connor didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. How could he tell Hank that as he looked over his shoulder, he could see Hank’s feet evaporating.

Connor clung tightly onto the back of Hank’s shirt. Hank didn’t seem to notice, and Connor couldn’t shatter this.

“Hank…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay Connor, it’s going to be okay… it’s going to be okay, right?” Hank tried to hide that the last part was a question.

“Everything’s going to be fine Hank.” Connor managed to keep the static out of his voice. “You’ll be fine, we’ll both be fine.”

_We’ll be fine._

Connor chanted this over and over again in his head until he fell forwards into nothing.

And he screamed.

Connor had never screamed before, he’d never wanted too… he’d never needed too.

It wasn’t the scream of a machine, it was the scream of a man.

Connor felt like he was choking.

He heard someone running up the steps and through his blurry vision he saw a pair of feet stop. He couldn’t raise his head to look at them. His hands tried to clutch uselessly to the thin carpet, and when that failed his hands clawed into themselves.

“Connor…”

Reed knelt in front of him. He gently grabbed Connor’s wrists and pulled his fists apart as blue rivers ran down the sides of his palm.

He saw Reed reach out a hand, and then pull it back into himself, unsure of what to do.

Connor twisted his hand in Reed’s grip so that he was now holding Reed’s wrist.

“Please...” Connor hoped his voice was intelligible. “I can’t… I don’t want to be alone.”

He heard Reed’s draw a deep, shaky breath.

“Alright, kid.” And he reached back out as Connor grabbed fistfuls of Reed’s shirt and keeled over in front of him.

Reed placed a hand on Connor’s back, and his other raked through Connor’s hair.

Connor was mumbling and Reed strained to hear it.

“I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do.”

Reed’s hands twitched, he fought to not turn them into fists.

“Neither do I, tin-can.”

“I don’t… I don’t know what I should do…”

“Nothing. Just… shit, just let yourself… feel.”

“Will that help?”

Reed looked down and meet Connor’s eyes. He’d never seen Connor look so… broken.

“Yeah, Connor, it’ll help.”

“You’re certain?”

“… I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I almost made myself cry writing this.
> 
> If people want to skip this chapter because of Sumo's death I completely understand.
> 
> Gavin referred to as 'Reed' as it's from Connor's point of view. He won't always be referred to as that in other chapters. I pick what names people go by depending on who's point of view it's from.
> 
> I'm going down a long road to slowly break every piece of my heart.


End file.
